


liv flaherty week 2020

by freckledrob



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Adolescent Sexuality, Crushes, Epilepsy, Found Family, Halloween, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, More tags to be added, liv is wlw because i say so and because she is, livflahertyweek2020, the best girl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:55:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 2,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27200759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freckledrob/pseuds/freckledrob
Summary: a week dedicated to emmerdale's liv flahertyday seven: free choice - a very livgabby halloween
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden, Liv Flaherty/Gabby Thomas
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	1. day 1: asexuality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _It’s just all a lot to process. And she knows she’s young and she doesn’t have to have every aspect of herself figured out, but it’d still be nice to have something to say. Asexual. Lesbian. Demisexual. Bisexual. Pansexual. Something._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is set before liv officially identifies herself as asexual on the show. it's set around winter 2018/2019 (before she dates jacob) and she's just trying to think about how she feels.

She can remember scrolling through seemingly endless posts across the internet, begging for an answer that could help her explain how she was feeling. She thought about the people in her life who had identities they were secure in and felt a pang of jealousy in her chest. She wasn’t normally the type to go green with envy, and this was hardly an extreme case, but she would love to just be able to skip to the part where she knows who she is and who she likes and what she wants to do with them. 

She knows that sex is not something she’s interested in, at all. But she’s still interested in the other stuff that comes with being in a relationship. She’s also still trying to figure out exactly who she’s interested in doing that other relationship stuff with. 

She knows she likes girls. Well, she knows she likes Gabby. But Gabby made it pretty clear back on Valentine’s Day that was a no-go and that mates was as far as it was going. Liv thinks she can deal with the tiny ache in her heart if it means Gabby’s still a constant in her life. 

Boys… she’s not quite sure. Jacob’s great. He’s kind, funny, a bit of an idiot at times, but who isn’t? He’s been a great mate and sometimes she wonders if they could be more. She feels like maybe she should give him a shot.

It’s just all a lot to process. And she knows she’s young and she doesn’t have to have every aspect of herself figured out, but it’d still be nice to have something to say. Asexual. Lesbian. Demisexual. Bisexual. Pansexual. _Something._

For now, she’s just Liv. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these lil pieces aren't going to be anything super complex, but liv's one of my favourite characters so i wanted to participate in this liv appreciation week bc it seems fun!
> 
> find me @cherubliv on twitter + friendlycitrus on tumblr! 💗


	2. day 2: drinking/alcoholism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The night after PC Swirling stops by to hear her out about Lachlan, only for her to turn up drunk and upset, she sits by herself on the sofa. It’s late, and she didn’t bother to turn on any lights when the sun went down, so now she’s just alone in the dark. She could probably come up with something clever about how that’s a metaphor for how she’s feeling right now, if she cared enough. She doesn’t._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> set the night of 19 july 2018 aka the day she came home drunk after trying to confront lachlan. she hates that she keeps drinking but robert's there to comfort her.

Liv wants to do better than her mum. She doesn’t want to drink away her problems. She does anyway, for a little while, but that only leads to more trouble for herself and others. She doesn’t want to be a burden. She has felt that burden before, having to take care of things around the house because her mum drank herself into a deep sleep or took enough pills that she wouldn’t be up to anything for at least two days.

But sometimes she can’t help herself.

Liv hated the looks on Robert and Aaron’s faces when they confronted her in prison. And again after they hadn’t believed her about Lachlan. Their disappointment in her alone makes her feel just as sick as any bottle could. 

The night after PC Swirling stops by to hear her out about Lachlan, only for her to turn up drunk and upset, she sits by herself on the sofa. It’s late, and she didn’t bother to turn on any lights when the sun went down, so now she’s just alone in the dark. She could probably come up with something clever about how that’s a metaphor for how she’s feeling right now, if she cared enough. She doesn’t.

There’s the sound of footsteps on the stairs and she’s able to just make out the shape of Robert through the light coming from upstairs.

“Liv?” He sounds slightly out of breath, from something Liv is sure she doesn’t want to know about. Robert had practically dragged her brother upstairs hours prior after going off at Liv for coming home bladdered, and while Liv wasn’t particularly fond of that kind of distraction, she’d take it in moments like these.

She makes a sort of humming sound of recognition and gives him a short wave. 

“What’re you doin’ down here?” He asks through a yawn, rolling his shoulder back.

Liv shrugs, shuffling herself further into the sofa. “Couldn’t sleep, I guess. What about you?”

He lets out a light chuckle. “Aaron forgot his phone. Asked me to get it.”

She rolls her eyes, but there’s a smile playing on her lips. She has to admit that she loves how Robert will do anything for her brother, even it’s something as stupid as retrieving the phone he left on the kitchen table. He’d do anything for her as well, she thinks. Aaron had mentioned something about how it was Robert’s idea to hear her out.

_ “Robert actually wanted to listen to what you had to say! Thought we should cut ya some slack and see if we could help ya!” Aaron had groaned in frustration, jerking his shoulder out of Robert’s reach when the older man tried to rub it in an attempt to calm him down. “How does you showing up drunk help anyone, Liv? I thought we were getting past all this...” _

Robert seems to read her mind and he sits himself on the arm of the sofa opposite her. “He’ll get over it. It’ll be fine.”

“I didn’t-” She stops herself, takes a deep breath, “I know I messed up today. I didn’t want to, I just… I got so upset and I wanted it to go away.”

He nods, but doesn’t say anything. She’s not sure if that’s better or worse.

“I don’t wanna be like this, Rob. Be the person who tries to drown their sorrows all the time or whatever.” She sniffs, “I just… It’s  _ hard. _ ”

Her voice cracks on that last word. God, she must sound like an idiot. A child. Someone who just can’t help themselves when it comes to screwing up.

“I know,” Robert’s voice is gentle. Caring. She can imagine him using that tone on Seb one day, when he’s a teenager and feeling sorry for himself over one thing or another. “You just need to let us help you, yeah? Everything’s gonna be fine.”

And despite the fact that her mind is still racing, and a part of her still wants to search the cabinets for liquor, she actually kind of believes him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me @cherubliv on twitter + friendlycitrus on tumblr! 💗


	3. day 3: seizures/epilepsy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The first time it happens, she feels stupid. Broken. Ridiculous. As if this is what her family needs right now. Victoria’s trying to recover and she's carrying her first child. Robert’s facing prison. Aaron is trying to keep a brave face, but he’s scared, she knows it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> liv and her two seizures

The first time it happens, she feels stupid. Broken. Ridiculous. As if this is what her family needs right now. Victoria’s trying to recover and she's carrying her first child. Robert’s facing prison. Aaron is trying to keep a brave face, but he’s scared, she knows it. 

And then she went and had a fit in the middle of the bloody cafe. _Perfect._

The second time it happens, she doesn’t feel stupid, just hurt. Upset. Betrayed by her own body. She wanted it to be a one-off. She wanted it to just have been because she was having an off day. But no, it happened again. And this time it decided to take over when she was running around the village, hoping her brother was okay. Or at least as okay as he could be, given his circumstances.

She woke up next to the stream and all she could do was cry.

She gets diagnosed after the second one. Epilepsy. That puts a stop to them for a while, but not forever. She knows that. But the uncertainty still haunts her. She’s scared. Everyone tells her that everything will be okay, and maybe it will be for a while but nothing ever seems to stay good for very long in Liv Flaherty’s life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me @cherubliv on twitter + friendlycitrus on tumblr! 💗


	4. day 4: school/university

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Liv nods hesitantly, “Well yeah. But that’s just it, isn’t it? You get to choose what you do with your life and I choose what I do with mine?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i took this prompt and made it a bit gay. set somewhat recently, as gabby has decided not to continue on with school.

“You ever think about uni?” Gabby asks one day.

They’re lying on their backs in the grass outside the cricket pavilion, shoulders barely brushing against each other. It had been a comfortable silence, they were just happy to be away from everyone else.

Liv squints, turning her head to look at the other girl, only to find she’s staring back. 

“Sure, I think about it. Don’t you?”

Gabby shrugs, “I have. Don’t think I’m gonna go though.”

Liv sits up at that. “What?”

“I can do just as well at Take a Vow now. And I like working there. Leyla’s been amazing and-”

“Right,” Liv feels a pang of jealousy but brushes it off, “I just… Thought university was always the next step for you, I guess.”

She doesn’t know why. It’s not like Gabby’s ever  _ loved _ school. But neither has she and uni’s still always been a part of the plan for her, so she supposes she thought it would be the same for Gabby too. Looking at it now, that seems ridiculous. Like a silly dream.

“It is for some people,” the brunette lays on her side, head resting on one arm while her free hand plucks at a few blades of grass, “And that’s fine for them. I know it’s a part of your plan for the future and whatnot. I just don’t think it is for me.”

She looks up, seemingly studying Liv’s face. “You think I’m being daft, don’t you?”

“What? No! No, it’s your life. You get to do what  _ you _ want with it.”

“But it’s just not what  _ you _ would choose to do.”

Liv nods hesitantly, “Well yeah. But that’s just it, isn’t it? You get to choose what you do with your life and I choose what I do with mine?”

She can’t tell Gabby to go to school. She can’t make her fill out applications or drag her to a campus. 

Gabby doesn’t have to go to university. She doesn’t have to go where Liv goes.

Even if a tiny part of Liv had selfishly hoped that she would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just wish liv and gabby could be girlfriends and lie in a field and be happy.
> 
> find me @cherubliv on twitter + friendlycitrus on tumblr! 💗


	5. day 5: home/family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _When Liv thinks of home and family, her first thoughts are Emmerdale. She thinks of Aaron and Robert and Chas. She does think of her own mum too, because she loves her despite her faults, but Emmerdale is where she’s learned the most, about herself and about growth and about what home really is._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> focused mainly on liv + aaron/robert/chas, as they're the ones who really took her in when she first arrived in 2016

Liv Flaherty has had many homes. Her perception of family has changed more than she can remember. For a long time, she never thought she’d figure out what it truly meant to belong somewhere. To have a place she called home and a family that would stand by her side. 

And then along came Aaron. And Robert. And Chas. And the Dingles and Paddy and Gabby and Jacob and well… you get the picture.

Aaron, with his strength and forgiving nature. The brother she’d spent years wondering about, who upon re-meeting she’d initially written off as a liar and a criminal but proved her wrong and took her in. The person who showed her she was worth it.

Robert, who never backed down against her but also never gave up on her either. He was infuriating and smug and all around annoying for the most part, but he also listened to her better than anyone else. He stood by her and talked with her and let her get out whatever words were racing around in her head.

Chas, who could often put the mothering in smothering but also believed in Liv and did everything to help her. Helped her through all the “girl stuff” as best she could and didn’t let Liv’s faults fog her potential. Chas isn’t her mother, neither one of them would ever say that, but she was still absolutely, without a doubt, family.

When Liv thinks of home and family, her first thoughts are Emmerdale. She thinks of Aaron and Robert and Chas. She does think of her own mum too, because she loves her despite her faults, but Emmerdale is where she’s learned the most, about herself and about growth and about what home really is.

Liv learned unconditional love in Emmerdale. And she won’t soon forget that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me @cherubliv on twitter + friendlycitrus on tumblr! 💗


	6. day 6: teenage shenanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Her teenage years are spent trying to burst Robert’s eardrums with her music and push Aaron’s buttons with calls from her school. They’re spent playing video games with Jacob and following Gabby to the ends of the earth._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> liv flaherty and her experiences as a teen in emmerdale

Her teenage years are spent trying to burst Robert’s eardrums with her music and push Aaron’s buttons with calls from her school. They’re spent playing video games with Jacob and following Gabby to the ends of the earth. She spends them drinking herself daft and trying to figure out who she is. Running through fields and pulling pranks on residents. Making friends and catching feelings. Getting hurt and feeling empty. Pushing through and growing up. Allowing herself to love and be loved in return. Making mistakes and learning from them. Getting looked after the way she deserves and looking after others the way she wished she would’ve been growing up. Stolen glances in cafes and holding tight onto those who will let her.

Liv Flaherty spends her teenage years _ living _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not a super long one, but i felt like it capsulated her years on the show just a bit
> 
> find me @cherubliv on twitter + friendlycitrus on tumblr! 💗


	7. day 7: free choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“You’re here!” Gabby runs over, imaginatively dressed as a black cat. She pulls her in for a tight hug that makes the butterflies in Liv’s stomach go mental. “I didn’t think you’d show up!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my only ideas for this were: gabby, love, halloween
> 
> so i took those 3 ideas & rolled with them!
> 
> i present to you: a very livgabby halloween 
> 
> (set in a universe/time/whatever where covid isn’t happening. stay safe y’all)

Liv doesn’t really do Halloween. She likes it, sure, but she doesn’t go all out like some of the others in the village.

So it’s a surprise to all involved when she shows up to the Halloween party at Jacobs Fold.

“You’re here!” Gabby runs over, imaginatively dressed as a black cat. She pulls her in for a tight hug that makes the butterflies in Liv’s stomach go mental. “I didn’t think you’d show up!”

“Neither did I…” she looks around the room at the drunk secondary and college students, “ _ But  _ Aaron wanted the telly and I couldn’t think of anything better to do, so here I am.”

Noah rolls his eyes, “Cheers.”

“ _ As if _ you’re offended, we both know you only threw this party because of your crush on-”

His face goes red, “Shuddup.”

She sticks out her tongue and then feels some sort of headband get placed on top of her head.

“They’re devil horns,” Sarah comes into view, grinning in her 70s-flower-power- _ whatever _ costume. “You should at least look  _ somewhat _ festive.”

Liv supposes that’s fair. She hadn’t put any thought towards what she was wearing when she left the house. Black trousers, black top, black jacket. Simple enough.

“I think you look  _ cute _ ,” Gabby reaches out, gently adjusting Liv’s new red horns. Liv feels her cheeks heat up and knows they’re probably burning pink.

“C’mon,” Gabby takes her hand and drags her towards the kitchen, “Made sure that not everything was boozy, just in case you showed up.”

That causes Liv’s stomach to flip and her heart to swell. “Really?”

“ _ Course _ ,” Gabby’s voice is soft and genuine, “You’re… you’re my best mate, I want you to feel comfortable.”

They seem to notice at the same time that they’re still holding hands, but they don’t let go. Gabby just pulls out a small bottle of something fizzy and non-alcoholic and hands it to Liv, grabbing one for herself as well.

“Solidarity,” she lifts hers up in mock cheers, “Should probably sober up a bit more anyways.”

Liv just nods, swallowing hard. “Ta.”

They pass Leanna and Jacob playing tonsil hockey on the sofa and Sarah playing some sort of party game with a few mates and Noah staring longingly at a boy from his grade.

“I’m surprised this party is even happening,” Liv states as they find a fairly secluded corner to chat in. “How’d they get Charity to agree?”

“Literally have no idea,” Gabby shrugs, “I was just given a time and a place to show up.”

Liv laughs at that, “Fair enough.”

Something changes in the air around them when they sit down, shoulders and knees touching as they squeeze together on the floor.

“I’m really glad you’re here, Liv,” Gabby’s looking at her, brown eyes meeting Liv’s blue. 

“Yeah, well-” her voice is hushed, she’s not sure why. Then, Gabby’s leaning forward and-

And they’re kissing.

It’s better than the first time. Gabby’s lips taste like the fruity pop she had gotten for them and a bit of whatever Gabby had been drinking before. Her lips feel like velvet and Liv’s brain is instantly mush from the second their lips meet. It feels like a dream. A  _ really _ good dream.

When they break apart however, reality starts to settle back in and Liv’s confused.

“Why did you-”

It’s Gabby’s turn to blush. “Sorry, should I not have? I should’ve…”

“It’s just,” Liv sighs, “After last time… I mean, I thought that you-”

Gabby looks away. “I… I wasn’t ready then. In a lot of ways.” 

“But you are now?” Liv doesn’t know what to think. She likes Gabby. A lot. But she doesn’t want to be messed around. Not again.

Gabby takes a deep breath. Pauses. Then nods. 

“Yeah. I am. But if you aren’t… or you don’t… then that’s-”

Liv cuts her off with a quick press of their lips together.

Somewhere, someone lets out a teasing, but supportive, whistle (Liv’s thinking it’s Noah or Jacob). They both smile and Liv touches their temples together.

Maybe Halloween isn’t so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is kinda inspired by the teens plans for last halloween??? but also not completely. hope you liked it & the rest of the works in this lil series! liv week has been really fun & i’m so glad i participated!!
> 
> find me @cherubliv on twitter + friendlycitrus on tumblr! 💗


End file.
